Good Christ says to them my Yoke is easy and Burden light Mat. 11. 30. There are none of the said terrifying Ingredients into the Death of Nature in Saints peculiar to the Death of it in Christ himself Nor were they in his first Sacrifice of Nature in general above-spoken to To Saints therefore the Sufferings of the present time are not reckon'd worthy to be compar'd with the Glory which shall be reveal'd in them Rom. 8. 18. which they have the infallible forehand-Sight of by such Beginnings thereof as they already experience in them with Ioy unspeakable and full of Glory 1. Pet. 1. 8. CHAP. XII Regeneration BY true Regeneration Man that was made of God by a First-creation in the mortal earthly Law-life of the Creature is born of God in the immortal heavenly Gospel-life of the Creator the living Creature-word of God which is God Iohn 1. 1-3 As for the Life and Things given Angels and Men in their First-creation those are things which have been but shall not be for ever temporary transient things to be laid aside in order to their receiving God's own heavenly Creature-life by a New-creation To the blessed Submitters to the Terms of receiving this does God look with Regard and Delight as Objects of his everlasting Love Isa. 66. 2. The poor broken contrite Spirit of Man under the Cross or Death-work of the heavenly Creature-spirit of Christ on his earthly in order to be born of his heavenly is of more Value in God's Sight than all the unbroken Excellencies and Perfections of Men and Angels in their First-creation-Make and Life All that by a delusive Confidence in their own earthly Life given them in their First-creation finally despise God's heavenly offer'd by a second do chuse Satan's Lie in Union with him in the first in unchangeable Enmity to God's Truth offer'd by a second They prefer the Form of Godliness in the Life of the Creature to the Power of Godliness in the Life of the Creator 2 Tim. 3.5 2 Thess. 2. 10-12 True Saints are Followers of Christ in the Regeneration Mat. 19. 28. by the Death of their own Spirits at best into his everlasting true Salvation-life above all Deaths So come they to be chang'd from a visible First-covenant People of God in their own holy Flesh Righteousness of Man into an invisible People of God in his Holy Ghost or heavenly Creature-Gospel-spirit and therein have a Life hid with Christ in God Col. 3. 1-4 Their Peace with God therein passes or surmounts all natural Vnderstanding of Man with all the Things of God wherein it consists Man's highest natural Understanding in the First-covenant understands not the Saints spiritual Understanding in the Second nor any of the divine and heavenly Creature-things of God he thereby sees understands or speaks of He therefore reckons all Foolishness 1 Cor. 2. 9 14 15. The Seed of Life put into Angels and Men in their First-creation was corruptible in the second incorruptible This latter is the Life which by the Gospel is preach'd and made known 1 Pet. 1. 23-25 This Saints come to be the happy Experiencers of as the Root Spring and Principle of their Desire Thought and Action By Death of the First-creation and Resurrection into the Second was Christ himself as First-born from the dead qualified to be the immediate Creator of Angels and Men by a First and the giver to them of eternal Life by a Second-creation of them So only can any be Subjects to him in his heavenly Kingdom None that finally refuse to suffer and die with him in the First can ever live and reign with him in the Second 2 Tim. 2. 10 11. By true Regeneration the corruptible Life with the fallible Understanding and corruptible Will of the Creature is chang'd and transform'd into the incorruptible and infallible Life Will and Understanding of the Creator the marvellous Light and glorious Liberty of the Sons of God Awaken'd Saints in the all-discovering Light of the quickning Spirit of the Second Adam see an end all natural Life Wisdom Glories Excellencies and Perfections in the living Soul of the First will come to Psal. 119. 96. No such changeable Life or temporary good Things will be found in the Heaven or Hell-part of the eternal World to come Rev. 18 14-19 There will be nothing then but eternal Life or Death eternal good or evil Things The changeable fallible womanish Spirit of the First Adam at best is the mystical Iezebel or false Prophetess as to Mens eternal Concerns exactly serviceable to Satan's Designs in such Interpretation of the Scriptures of Truth as to preach up with all Confidence his Lie for Salvation to them and their finally deceived Hearers everlasting Destruction All this Iezebel's Children her Thoughts Doctrines Works or Fruits will be kill'd with eternal Death burnt up and destroy'd for ever Rev. 2. 20-23 By the wrong Use of their own Free-will did evil Angels at first set up for themselves in a Shadow of Divine Soveraignty to be as Gods in the uncontroulable Exercise of their own Wills as God is in his infinite Divine Will And they soon drew Mankind in Adam to make the same Choice with them to be as Gods telling them that God knows they shall be so and will own them therein as having made a right Choice for their everlasting Blessedness Gen. 3.5 In pursuance of this first destructive Lie as soon as any of Mankind are restor'd into the Life and Righteousness of Man by the Redeemer Satan is at the same Point with them as at first in Adam and prevails with many such redeem'd ones to strike up an everlasting Covenant with him in the First-creation-life of the Creature in unchangeable Enmity to God and the everlasting Life of their Creator To all such God says what have you to do to take the Words of my new and everlasting Covenant in your Mouth Psal. 50. 16. as pretending to preach my Gospel when Ministers of Satan's other no Gospel in a direct Contrariety to mine Gal. 1.6,7 Saints by true Regeneration as born of God do experience his working all their Works in them by his heavenly Spirit Isa. 26. 12. What a surprizing amazing Answer will all others find at last Day from Christ we find Mat. 7. 21-23 Depart from me ye that work Iniquity CHAP. XIII The Difference of the spiritualiz'd Natural from the spiritual Understanding MAN in the former is said to be a Partaker of the Holy Ghost or heavenly Creature-Gospel-spirit of Christ the living Word of God under highest spiritual enlightning Gifts These are the best Gifts to be coveted or desir'd receivable by and upon Man's natural Understanding but short yet of the more excellent Way or the very spiritual Life and Gospel-Principle of all right Desire Thought and Action Without this call'd Love as rendring any true Lovers and Beloveds of God Fulfillers of the whole Law Mind and Will of God after his own Heart all 's nothing as to eternal Life 1
all Gospel-Truths as the greatest Heresies and Blasphemies in the World Christ himself suffer'd himself to be so dealt with by them When Saints declare the Gospel-life and assert that therein only any can ever enter into Heaven or scape the Damnation of Hell they do not deny that any in the corrupt or righteous Life of their own Nature or Spirit can ever come to experience Christ's Gospel-life or enter into his Kingdom but endeavour to be instrumental under Christ for leading them thereinto 2 Tim. 2. 24-26 Quest. Does the Gospel-Doctrine of true Salvation discourage or condemn the Righteousness of Man in the honest moral Heathen walking in a Sutableness to the rational Light of Nature restor'd by Christ in all Mankind as a Light which lighteth every Man that comes into the World John 1. 9. Does it discourage the righteous First-covenant Iew or Christian walking in his higher kind of good Conscience in the restor'd First-covenant Law-life as his Principle owning the imputed Righteousness of Christ there for the compleating him in a First-covenant-Communion with and worshipping of God Consequently does it judg and condemn the moral Heathen or legally righteous First-covenant Iew or Christian for teaching and exhorting others to walk in such Obedience to God as is performable in the said Light of Nature or Life of the Law Answ. Nothing of all this is justly imputable to the right Teaching of the Gospel Moral and legal Righteousness of Man is good for himself and his Fellow-creatures in this World Iob 35. 8. and better in God's Sight than gross Wickedness Injustice vile Affections and brutish Lusts but as to entring into the Kingdom of God in the World to come not at all available Gal. 6. 15. God himself testified of Iob to the Devil that there was none like him in the Earth a perfect upright Man fearing God and eschewing Evil Job 1. 8. The Devil knowing Iob in all this to be rewarded of God as a Debtor to him Rom. 4. 4. for such Righteousness in a Plenty of this World 's temporary good Things replied v. 9 10. Hast thou not bless'd the Work of his Hands and encreas'd his Substance in the Land Take all this away again and see if he curse thee not to thy Face v. 11. God puts it into Satan's Power to be instrumental herein for the Trial of Iob's Patience and carrying on the Work of his Cross upon him in a Conducibleness to his greatest Good His ten Children are kill'd by a great Wind blowing down the House where they were Feasting all his Goods were taken away by wicked Men under the Influence of the Devil Thus far Iob did bear his Trial without sinning or charging God foolishly blessing the Lord that gave him and then took all the said Gifts away again from him Then Satan desires the Liberty of smiting his Body and God grants him a limited Power as to that Then Satan moves his Wife to counsel him to do what himself had said to God Iob 1. 11. Curse God and die Chap. 2. 9. Job rebukes her saying shall we receive Good from God and not Evil In all this did not Iob sin with his Lips Job 2. 5-10 But when he felt the Cross or Death-work of the Spirit of God on his very Spirit as to the Life Wisdom and Righteousness of Man and Satan's permitted working upon him in this Hour and Power of Darkness he was sorely put to his utmost Trial and utter'd many hard Words against God's strange and wonderful Dealings with him reflecting upon his faithful Walking Iob 29. 2. so as not in the least to deserve any such dealing of God with him Iob 3. 19. 1-11 31. 35. He desires that the Almighty would answer him Here 's the Case and Demeanour of the Mirror of Patience next the Lord himself under all Sufferings in our Nature Elihu charges him with multiplying his Words against God Job 34. 37. The Lord himself charges him with darkning Counsel by Words without Knowledg Chap. 38. 1 2. He saw not as yet or understood the unspeakable Advantage of all this strange Dealing of God with him So contended with the Almighty and therein reprov'd God himself Chap. 40. 1 2. He reflected upon his former Condition and flourish in all worldly Prosperity and such an Eminency in Wisdom and Righteousness that when he open'd his Mouth in Counsel Princes refrain'd talking and Nobles held their Peace now Children of Fools abhor'd him made him their Song and By-word not sparing to spit in his Face Iob 29. 9 10. 30. 8-10 He comes at length to abhor himself in such a Change of Life and Mind for the better as to rejoice in seeing all the fading Glory Wisdom and Righteousness of his own Spirit turn'd into Dust and Ashes as the Way of God for experiencing his heavenly Creature-life above all Deaths and his eternal good Things therein the Righteousness and Wisdom of God and his living and working all his Works in God's Spirit of Grace and Truth But in the hundred and forty Years of his Life after all this we hear not a Word of such high Esteem with Men as when eminent in the Wisdom and Righteousness of Man Were the restor'd Life and Righteousness of Man all that God requires of him for entring into his Kingdom Godliness would be no Mystery The Light of Nature in all Men convinces judges and condemns all gross Sins vile Affections and brutish Lusts in all others and themselves also who are guilty thereof And then also Satan would have no Mystery of Iniquity to make use of in his destructive Practisings upon Mankind But for this he has not only all the Wisdom Righteousness and Glory of the First-creation in himself and Men to deceive them by but a permitted Power also to transform all that in himself and Men into the Appearance and Likeness of Christ's Gospel-life and Righteousness of God and by his Ministers amongst Men to dress it up with all Scripture Language and Titles of the very Gospel-Truths of God Regeneration New-Creature and the like So does Satan as the supream mystical Whore of Babylon with his whole Babylonish Party of evil Angels and Men furnish'd with all Glory of the First-creation and counterfeit Appearances also of the Second carry on his Work in the womanish Spirit of Nature against God's manly Spirit of Grace as deck'd and adorn'd with all worldly Glory Pomp and Beauty and having a gilded not golden Cup full of Abominations by which to deceive if possible the very Elect and infallibly all others into everlasting Destruction Even Iohn the peculiarly beloved Disciple an eminent Apostolical Saint marvel'd to see the Pomp and Glory of Satan and his whole Party herein and in all that call'd Mystery Babylon the Great Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth all amounting to a rebellious fixing in the earthly Life of the Creature in unchangeable Enmity to God and the heavenly Creature-life of the Creator offer'd by a